Liège (province)

Liège
Liège; German: Lüttich; Dutch: Luik
	Province of Belgium
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	Coordinates: 50°38′N05°34′E / 50.633°N 5.567°E Coordinates: 50°38′N05°34′E / 50.633°N 5.567°E
Country	Belgium
Region	Wallonia
Capital	Liège
Government
• Governor	Hervé Jamar
Area
• Total	3,844 km2 (1,484 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2017) [1]
• Total	1,102,531
• Density	290/km2 (740/sq mi)
Website	Official site

Last updated April 20, 2019

Liège (French: [ljɛʒ] ; Walloon : Lîdje; Dutch : Luik, IPA: [lœyk] ( listen ); German : Lüttich, IPA: [ˈlʏtɪç] ) is the easternmost province of Wallonia and Belgium.

Walloon is a Romance language that is spoken in much of Wallonia in Belgium, in some villages of Northern France and in the northeast part of Wisconsin until the mid 20th century and in some parts of Canada. It belongs to the langue d'oïl language family, whose most prominent member is the French language. The historical background of its formation was the territorial extension since 980 of the Principality of Liège to the south and west.

Dutch(Nederlands ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 23 million people as a first language and 5 million people as a second language, constituting the majority of people in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives English and German.

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

Limburg is the southernmost of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. It is in the southeastern part of the country, stretched out from the north, where it touches the province of Gelderland, to the south, where it internationally borders Belgium. Its northern part has the North Brabant province to its west. Its long eastern boundary is the international border with the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Much of the west border runs along the River Maas, bordering the Flemish province of Limburg, and a small part of the Walloon province of Liège. On the south end, it has borders with the Flemish exclave of Voeren and its surrounding part of Liège, Wallonia. The Vaalserberg is on the extreme south-eastern point, marking the tripoint of Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

The Netherlands is a country located mainly in Northwestern Europe. The European portion of the Netherlands consists of twelve separate provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, with maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Together with three island territories in the Caribbean Sea—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba— it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The official language is Dutch, but a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian.

North Rhine-Westphalia is a state of Germany.

It is an area of Walloon and German ethnicity.

The capital of the province is the city of the same name, Liège.

Liège is a major Walloon city and municipality and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.

History

The modern borders of the province of Liège date from 1795, which saw the unification of the Principality of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège with the revolutionary French Department of the Ourthe (sometimes spelled Ourte). (Parts of the old Principality of Liege also went into new French départements Meuse-Inférieure, and Sambre-et-Meuse.)

Prince-Bishopric of Liège ecclesiastic state of the Holy Roman Empire

The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, situated for the most part in present Belgium, which was ruled by the Bishop of Liège. As a prince, the Bishop held an Imperial Estate and had seat and voice at the Imperial Diet. The Prince-Bishopric of Liège should not be confused with the Bishop's diocese of Liège, which was larger.

Ourthe was a department of the First French Empire in present-day Germany and Belgium. It was named after the river Ourthe (Oûte). Its territory corresponded more or less with that of the present-day Belgian province of Liège and a small adjacent region in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.

Meuse-Inférieure former French department (1795-1814)

Meuse-Inférieure was a department of the First French Empire in present-day Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. It was named after the river Meuse. Its capital was Maastricht. Its territory corresponded largely with the present-day provinces of Belgian and Dutch Limburg.

The province of Ourthe, as it was known then, was under French control during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon visited the city during one of his campaigns and ordered the destruction of its vineyards in order to prevent the Liege wine industry from competing with its French counterpart.

Following Napoleon’s fall from power in 1815, Liege became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while eastern half of modern Verviers became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Liege University scholars helped to write the new Dutch constitution after the Napoleonic Wars ^{[ citation needed ]}. Despite these contributions there was a widespread perception among the people of Liege that they were discriminated against by the Dutch government due to religious and language differences.

Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège.

Napoleonic Wars Series of early 19th century European wars

The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European powers formed into various coalitions, financed and usually led by the United Kingdom. The wars stemmed from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and its resultant conflict. The wars are often categorised into five conflicts, each termed after the coalition that fought Napoleon: the Third Coalition (1805), the Fourth (1806–07), the Fifth (1809), the Sixth (1813), and the Seventh (1815).

In September 1830, rumors spread that Walloons in Brussels were expelling the Dutch. Liege intellectuals responded to these events by contacting Walloon scholars living in Paris to discuss Belgian independence. A militia was formed to press these demands led by Charlier "Wooden Leg" leading (eventually) to the formation of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

Walloons are a Romance ethnic group native to Belgium, principally its southern region of Wallonia, who speak French and Walloon. Walloons are a distinctive ethnic community within Belgium. Important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people.

In the 19th Century, the province was an early center of the Industrial Revolution. Its rich coal deposits and steel factories helped Belgium to form the basis of the region's increasing economic power.

During the 20th century, due to Liège's borders with Germany, it saw fierce fighting in both World Wars. In World War I, Liege’s strong line of reinforced concrete military forts temporarily halted the German advance through Belgium, giving time to construct trenches in Flanders which subsequently saw some of the worst fighting of that war. In world War II, Liège was the site of major fighting during the Battle of the Bulge. There, the Germans orchestrated their final offensive move against the combined Allied armies. Malmedy and Saint-Vith in particular saw intense battles against the Nazis.

Liège’s heavy industry thrived in the 1950s and 1960s^{[ citation needed ]}but this has been in steady decline since that time. Liege is the last city of Wallonia that still maintains a functioning steel industry.

Liège continues to be the economic and cultural capital of Wallonia, with its university, medieval heritage and heavy industry^{[ citation needed ]}.

Subdivisions

The province has an area of 3,844 square kilometres (1,484 sq mi), which is divided into four administrative districts (arrondissements in French) containing a total of 84 municipalities.

Arrondissements

The Province of Liège is divided into four administrative arrondissements:

Municipalities

Municipalities that have city status have a (city) behind their name.

Eupen, Kelmis, Raeren, Lontzen, Büllingen, Bütgenbach, Burg-Reuland, Amel and Sankt Vith form the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Waimes and Malmedy are municipalities with language facilities. The others are part of the French Community of Belgium.

List of Governors

1830–1831: Etienne de Sauvage (Liberal)
1831–1832: Jean-François Tielemans (Liberal)
1832–1844: Charles van den Steen de Jehay
1844–1846: Henri de Brouckère (Liberal)
1846–1847: Edmond de la Coste (Liberal)
1847–1863: Ferdinand de Macar (Liberal)
1863–1882: Charles de Luesemans (Liberal)
1882–1908: Léon Pety de Thozée
1908–1919: Henry Delvaux de Fenffe (Catholic Party)
1919–1927: Gaston Gregoire (Liberal)
1927–1937: Henri Pirard
1937–1943: Jules Mathieu
1944–1953: Joseph Leclercq (PSB)
1953–1971: Pierre Clerdent (PRL)
1972–1990: Gilbert Mottard (PS)
1990–2004: Paul Bolland
2004–2015: Michel Foret (MR)
2015–present Hervé Jamar (MR)

Related Research Articles

Belgium is a federal state located in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea. Belgium shares borders with France (556 km), Germany (133 km), Luxembourg (130 km) and the Netherlands (478 km). Belgium comprises the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

Wallonia is a region of Belgium. As the southern portion of the country, Wallonia is primarily French-speaking, and accounts for 55% of Belgium's territory and a third of its population. The Walloon Region was not merged with the French Community of Belgium, which is the political entity responsible for matters related mainly to culture and education, because the French Community of Belgium encompasses both Wallonia and the majority French-Speaking Brussels-Capital Region.

The country of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, the Flemish Region or Flanders, and Walloon Region, or Wallonia, are each subdivided into five provinces. The third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, is not divided into provinces, as it was originally only a small part of a province itself.

Büllingen Municipality in German-speaking Community, Belgium

Büllingen is a largely German-speaking municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Büllingen had a total population of 5,385. The total area is 150.49 km² which gives a population density of 36 inhabitants per km².

Eupen Municipality in German-speaking Community, Belgium

Eupen (German and French, previously known as Néau in French, is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, 15 kilometres from the German border, from the Dutch border and from the "High Fens" nature reserve. The town is also the capital of the Euroregion Meuse-Rhine.

Malmedy is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium. It lies in the province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Malmedy had a total population of 11,829. The total area is 99.96 km² which gives a population density of 118 inhabitants per km².

Waimes is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Liège, in Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Waimes had a total population of 6,728. The total area is 96.93 km² which gives a population density of 69 inhabitants per km².

The German-speaking Community of Belgium or Eastern Belgium is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Covering an area of 854 km² (330 sq mi) within the province of Liège in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of East Cantons. Traditionally speakers of Low Dietsch, Ripuarian and Moselle Franconian varieties, the local population numbers over 75,000—about 0.70% of the national total.

There are 27 municipalities with language facilities in Belgium which must offer linguistic services to residents in either Dutch, French, or German in addition to their official languages. All other municipalities – with the exception of those in the Brussels region which is bilingual – are unilingual and only offer services in their official languages, either Dutch or French.

The Weser (German) or Vesdre (French) and Vesder (Dutch) is a river in eastern Belgium, in the province of Liège, and is a right tributary to the river Ourthe. Its source lies in the High Fens, close to the border with Germany near Monschau. It flows through an artificial lake, and then through the towns Eupen, Verviers, Pepinster and Chaudfontaine. The Vesdre flows into the Ourthe a few kilometers from Liège. Its total length is approximately 64 kilometres (40 mi).

The Duchy of Limburg or Limbourg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its main territory including the capital Limbourg is today located within the Belgian province of Liège, with a small part in the neighbouring province of Belgian Limburg, within the east of Voeren.

Eupen-Malmedy or Eupen-Malmédy is a small, predominantly German-speaking region in eastern Belgium. It consists of three administrative cantons around the small cities of Eupen, Malmedy, and Sankt Vith which encompass some 730 square kilometres (280 sq mi). In the area itself, the region is referred to as Ostbelgien. Elsewhere in Belgium, the region is commonly referred to as the East Cantons.

Low Dietsch refers to a handful of transitional Limburgish–Ripuarian dialects spoken in a number of towns and villages.

The Belgian Eifel in the German-speaking part of Belgium generally refers to the southern part of the German-speaking community which forms the Canton of Sankt Vith. According to this definition the municipalities of Amel, Büllingen, Burg-Reuland, Bütgenbach and Sankt Vith belong to the Belgian Eifel.This very rural area is very sparsely populated, unlike the northern part of the German-speaking community, Eupener Land.

The N3 road in Belgium is a national road connecting the capital city Brussels to Aachen in Germany via Leuven, Tienen, Sint-Truiden and Liège. Its course is quite similar to that of European route E40 between Brussels and Aachen, which it intersects 3 times. The road runs through the 3 Belgian regions and the 3 communities.

The diocese of Eupen-Malmedy is a former Belgian Latin Roman Catholic diocese, which existed between 1919 and 1925, and included the East Cantons.

The Land of Eupen or Eupen Land is the northern part of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, lying on the border with Germany. Eupen is the capital of this region.

References

↑ Population per municipality as of 1 January 2017 (XLS; 397 KB)

External links

Official web site of the Liège province (in French)(in German)
Bureau des Relations Extérieures de la Province de Liège (in French)

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[r-pop-1] Population per municipality as of 1 January 2017 (XLS; 397 KB)